5 Ways to Choose Accessories to Work with Prints

One of the big trends this summer is to wear big prints, floral patterns and lots of colour.  The big problem with these can be picking accessories to go with them.  Whether it is a gauzy scarf, a necklace or a full matching set, here are some ideas about how approach choosing accessories to work with various prints.

Pretend it is solid

One of the easiest ways to pick accessories for prints is to pretend that they aren’t prints at all but are in fact solid colours.  This works if you are wearing neutral shades and darks such as navy and black regardless of the print.  All you need to do is pick accessories like you would if there wasn’t a big pattern so think a black and white floral pattern dress with a striking red necklace or a navy and ivory patterned skirt that can be paired with a yellow belt and shoes.  You could even take geometric patterns in black or navy with a pale shade and add in a bright solid like a red pair of jeans or shorts.

Pick a colour, any colour

If you don’t like throwing in an extra colour to the outfit, then pick one colour in the pattern and use this to theme your accessories.  So for example if you have bought a turquoise and pink floral pattern dress, then you could accessorise in either the turquoise or the pink.  Don’t try to match up every colour with your accessories as the result could be a bit chaotic but simply pick your favourite shade from the outfit and use that to tilt the visual balance in that shade’s favour.

Choose a colour for each accessory

Sticking to one colour for accessories may not be your thing or you might not find what you want.  Therefore, you can consider using one of each of the colours in the outfit for a different accessory.  For instance, if you have a multi-coloured print top, choose one of the shades for the skirt or trousers then another colour for shoes and belt then a third colour for your necklace and bracelet.  Each element will connect with the colour in the outfit.

Complementing shades

Sometimes matching up the colour exactly can be hard work, especially with vivid shades.  Therefore, another idea is to go to a close cousin of the colour for your accessories.  If you have a white and yellow leaf pattern top, the go to a darker or lighter shade of yellow for your necklace and a different complementing shade for the shoes and bag.  Or you could pick a colour that complements those in the outfit, even though it isn’t featured itself.

Go metallic

Matching up colours can be tricky if you don’t have an eye for colour or just get side-tracked by all the pretty shades.  If this is you, then why not go for metallic accessories even if there isn’t a single hint of gold, silver or bronze in the outfit?  Using metallic jewellery, metal tone shoes or bags and even something simple as a silver or gold belt can finish the outfit without siding with any particular colour.  Plus, metallics are a big trend in their own right for this summer so you get two trends in one outfit!

June Birthstone – Pearl

When is a birthstone not a stone?  When it’s a pearl, the birthstone for the month of June.  In fact, the pearl is remarkable for a number of reasons compared to other birthstones, not least because it comes from a living creature, a shelled mollusc, rather than through geological processes that take millions of years.  Here is a look at the pearl, its variations and most famous examples.

How pearls are made

The most valuable pearls are often called natural pearls as they occur in the wild and at random.  Cultured or farmed pearls are made from pearl oysters as well as freshwater mussels and make up the largest proportion of pearls currently available.  Imitation pearls include those made with glass to look like the real thing, are far cheaper to buy and are popular in costume jewellery.

The pearl is created as part of a defence mechanism by the mollusc when it senses something inside it’s shell or an attack that injures its mantle tissue.  To deal with the attack, it creates a pearl sac that seals off the cause of irritation.  It then deposits layers of calcium carbonate and other minerals onto the sac to create a substance called nacre.  This is the substance that makes mother-of-pearl as well as forming into natural pearls.

To create a cultured pearl, a mother of pearl bead or other substance is introduced to the mollusc shell to stimulate creation of the pearl sac.  It can be done in both freshwater or seawater molluscs and are taken from the shell fully formed with the lustre that pearls are renowned for.

Pearls through history

Pearls have been known to mankind for thousands of years and the oldest reference to them comes from a grave in what is now the United Arab Emirates, dating back over 7,500 years.  Natural pearls were harvested off the coast of Sri Lanka as well as from rivers in China and Europe.  Christopher Columbus discovered pearls in South America.  The Chinese and Japanese came up with the idea of cultured pearls when natural stocks began to diminish.

Currently, natural pearls are found in Australia, Central America, Japan, the Persian Gulf, the Gulf of Manaar between India and Sri Lanka, off the coast of Madagascar as well as in the South Pacific Islands, South America and South-east Asia.  River pearls come from Asia, Europe and North America.  Cultured pearls are found across south-east Asia, Australia, China, the Pacific Islands and Japan.

Choosing pearls

If you are in the position to pick a natural or cultured pearl for jewellery, then the factors defining quality are similar to that of other gemstones.  Firstly, the colour of the pearl – they come in a variety of colours including white, pink, silver, gold, green, blue and even black.  Others have an iridescence that is called ‘orient’.

The lustre of a pearl comes from the quality of the nacre.  Ideal pearls have a shiny lustre with sharp and bright reflections showing in the surface.  They should be smooth and free of any blemishes.  Shape of pearls includes round, oval, pearl and mis-shaped, called baroque pearls.  Sizes typically range from 2mm through to 16mm.

Famous pearl jewellery

Pearl jewellery has become synonymous with class and quality over the decades and some of the most expensive and famous pearl jewellery further reinforced this image.  However, the most valuable pearl is much too big to be made into jewellery.  The Beauty of Ocean Pearl weighs a staggering six tonnes and is composed of fluorite.  It took three years to form and was found in Mongolia.  If you wanted to add it to your collection, it would set you back a mere $139 million.

At a more manageable size is the second on the list, La Peregrina, formerly known as the Philip II pearl.  It has a perfect pear shape and brilliant white colour while its setting with rubies and diamonds probably helps it achieve its $11.8 million sale price when sold at auction in 2011.

The two strand Baroda pearl necklace is made from 68 perfectly matching natural pearls and was originally part of a seven strand necklace known as Saath Iahda.  It was owned by the Maharajas of India and sold in 2007 for $7.1 million after a diamond clasp was added by Cartier.

The Abernathy Pearl is said to be the most perfect pearl every found.  It was discovered in the River Tay in Scotland in 1967 and with 44 grains is the best natural pearl found.  It lived in a jewellery store in Cairncross for 30 years until it was sold in 1992.

The Big Pink Pearl sits in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest natural abalone pearl ever found, now valued at $4.7 million.  It was found by Wesley Rankin in Salt Point State Park, Petaluma, California in 1990.

The Hope Pearl weights 1800 grains or 450 carats and is a white drop shaped blister pearl that has a greenish gold shade at one end and white at the other.  It is in the British Museum of Natural History and was once owned by Henry Philip Hope, the owner of the Hope Diamond.

Digital Camera Basics for Photographing Your Crafts

One of the first things you need to master if you want to sell your crafts of any form online is digital photography.  You don’t need to be a modern-day David Bailey or taking an expensive photography course but a good camera, a good bit of software and good basic knowledge of how to take and edit pictures is a must.  I’m learning to better my pictures (or at least I think I am) but here we are looking at the camera itself and the basics you may need to use.

Learning photography

A few years before I started selling Etsy, I remember a local successful jewellery maker telling me that she never conquered the online selling business because she could never get good enough photos.  This lady had to stick with craft shows and other physical sales opportunities.  Now, as time becomes even more precious as I work for myself (as a freelance writer, the crafts is still at the hobby business stage) I think back to trying craft shows and cringe.

Being an online person, the idea of selling our cards, jewellery and other items through the internet is a natural and perhaps that is a generational thing.  But mastering photography has been a series of steps, with some dodgy results along the way.  I feel I am starting to get the hang of the basics and want to start adding some props to pictures in the future.

But what about if you have never really used your digital camera for anything other than point and shoot moments?  Like everything electronic today, these cameras can look a bit baffling with all the knobs and dials even fairly basic models include.  This is the world of digital camera modes and well worth educating yourself on, even if you don’t plan to photograph crafts.

The popular craft modes

Common mode dial

The easy one is automatic and is a great way to get to know your camera.  In fact, a lot of the time, you won’t come away from automatic mode because it uses the brain of the camera to do all the work.  Most cameras will be able to select shutter speed, aperture, focus and flash among other elements simply by selecting ‘AUTO’ on the little dial.  In fact, the camera will even change modes as you move around, trying to guess what you are picturing – but it might not always manage.

Portrait mode is depicted by a little lady’s head and tells the camera to select a large aperture (which is actually a small number).  The reason for this is to keep the background out of focus and allow the camera to concentrate on the subject in the middle of the shot.  So if you are photographing say a scarf on a model or a bust, this can be a good mode for those first shots.

Macro mode is the one I’ve become best associated with and is great for everything from getting close up on jewellery to taking great shots of the flowers in the garden.  It is usually depicted by a little tulip symbol and, on my camera, there is a facility that lets me zoom in on an object but not go too close – my little indicator at the top of the screen goes red when I’m too close for the camera to manage.

Other modes

Another dial with some manual modes

Depending on what kind of crafts you do, some of the other modes might not feature in your business photography.  But here’s a snapshot of what they are.

Landscape is often shown by a mountain with a cloud above symbol and uses a small aperture to create a large depth of field.  This is used to capture wide scenes.

Sports mode, with its running person, is often called action mode and does what it says – works for moving people or objects such as cars.  It tries to freeze the action using the shutter speed to create those blurred background shots.  It can also be termed as Kids & Pets and is ideal for capturing either.

Night shots show a man with a start and are designed for low light situations.  They use a longer shutter speed in coordination with the flash to capture the image despite the lack of natural light.  Party modes are similar, adapting to low lighting situations and quickly adjust when the room is suddenly brighter.  This mode also works for background lighting situations and candlelight.  It is often best used with a tripod as a steady camera is essential.

Snow or beach modes are designed to compensate for the imbalances caused by the whiteness of snow or the reflectiveness of the water.  Sunset is another mode for a specific time of the day to help maintain those deep hues while making the most of the light available.

Manual modes

Some cameras also come with a number of manual modes included as standard, although you will probably know more about these than me if you have this type of camera as I haven’t progressed that far yet.  These include:

• P – program mode allowing partial control over both aperture and shutter speed
• A or Av – aperture priority, allowing control of the aperture while other settings are controlled by the camera
• S or Tv – shutter priority, allowing control of the shutter speed while other settings are controlled by the camera
• Sv – sensitivity value, allowing control of the ISO sensitivity while other settings are controlled by the camera
• M – manual mode – you do everything yourself!

Conclusion

Taking great photos of your crafts is about more than just the camera and we will be looking at this later.  But practising with the different modes of the camera is a good starting point and a great excuse to get out with the camera and get snapping.

Alternative May Birthstones

The traditional birthstone for May is emerald, that slightly misty, deep green precious stone that sits alongside ruby, sapphire and diamond at the top of the most expensive stones available.  For both fine jewellery and costume jewellery, emerald can be on the pricy side.  And then there’s the colour – some people just don’t like that shade of green!  So what can you do if you want to go with a May birthstone but aren’t an emerald fan – the answer is to opt for one of the other alternative birthstones for May.

Agate

Top of the list of alternatives is Agate, featuring as the birthstone back in Roman times as well as in Hebrew birthstone systems.  It has long been the traditional ‘other’ May birthstone as well as being associated with the star sign Gemini.  It is a type of chalcedony and must have bands to differentiate it from other types of the stone, apart from dendritic and moss agate that have their own particular patterns.

Agate has been around in jewellery and in carving for a very long time and was used by the ancient Minoan culture in Crete to make statues and other items.  Most of the agate variations come from volcanic rocks or sites with ancient lava flows and this is why the stones often have bands to them.  The stones are found in Uruguay, Brazil, Mexico, Canada, the US as well as in Italy, India, China, Egypt, Scotland and Madagascar.

Types of agate

• 

  Botswana agate

  Agate geode – when the agate is surrounded by a geode, often of small quartz crystals

• Blue lace – light blue bands in a wavy pattern
• Botswana – fine white lines on grey blue, purple or peach stones
• Condor – from San Rafael, Argentina, various colours
• Crazy lace – twisting bands of colour
• Dendritic – translucent chalcedony that has inclusions looking like trees or ferns (technically not an agate but gets classified as one)
• Eye – bands that form perfectly round circles, looking like an eye
• Fire – form of chalcedony that has fire effects within it similar to opal
• Iris – rare form that has spectral colours on a white base
• Laguna – dense bands, found in Mexico
• Moss – another chalcedony that has green hornblende inclusions that look like moss
• Onyx – type of chalcedony that is termed as agate when has white bands
• Sardonyx – brown or reddish bands with white or black between them
• Snakeskin – scale-like patterns looking like the skin of a snake

Agate is also sometimes dyed or treated to create a variety of bright colours, with the stones from Brazil being most popular for this.  Another version of this are known as frosted agate and have a frosted look to them in addition to the bands.

Chrysoprase

Chrysoprase is a newer addition to the lists of birthstones for May and was traditionally associated with the star sign Gemini.  It shades a green shade with emerald and is the same family of gemstones as agate, being a type of chalcedony.  It is usually an apple green colour; though darker shades do occur.  It gets its colour from traces of nickel in the same way that emerald gets its colour from chromium.

Chrysoprase is found in Queensland and Western Australia, Germany, Poland and Russia as well as Brazil and in both California and Arizona in the USA.  Stones found in Australia are often referred to as jade while the largest stone ever found came from a mine in Szklary in Poland.

Wearing jewellery in Chrysoprase is relatively easy, the stone has a good hardness and can be cleaned with soapy water and a soft cloth.  Keep it away from household chemicals and store it out of the sunlight as this can drain the colour.

Chalcedony

Along with related stones agate and Chrysoprase, chalcedony is also listed as a birthstone alternative for May.  Like agate, it comes in a wide range of colours depending on the minerals within the stones.  It is believed to be named for the town of Chalcedon in Asia Minor and was known to the ancient Greeks and Romans.

Carnelian

Carnelian is a type of quartz that is mostly associated as a birthstone for August but in the Hebrew calendar is associated with May alongside agate and chalcedony.  The stone is an ancient one in terms of its use by mankind, with jewellery and other items made with it dating back thousands of years.  Both the Ancient Greeks and Romans placed a lot of value on it while it has also been popular for signet rings – Napoleon returned from Egypt with one such ring.

The colour of the stone varies from a reddish orange to brown to a pink shade and there are sometimes bands in the stone, often being referred to as carnelian agate.  Most of the stones on the market today come from either Brazil of Uruguay though they are also found in Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Iceland, Romanian as well as India, Japan and Peru.  Small deposits are found in the US, in France, Australia and in Cornwall.

Sapphire

Finally, if green and such just really isn’t your thing and you can’t get away with the reddish shades of carnelian, then go with the Tibetan birthstone for May – Sapphire.  One of the precious gemstones alongside emerald, it is most commonly found in a rich blue shade but also comes in a wide range of rare colours including pink, yellow and green.

Sources:

http://kamayojewelry.com/month-birthstones/may-birth-stone/

http://www.jewelsforme.com/gem_and_jewelry_library/chalcedony

www.wikipedia.com

What are the World’s Most Famous Diamonds?

As an April birthday and someone who loves colour, I always find my birthstone to be a little bit boring.  I know a lot of people love diamonds but for me, they just don’t do much for me.  But there’s one thing certain about diamonds – there have been some really famous ones with some fascinating stories attached to them.  Even if you don’t like diamonds or aren’t in the market for one, some of the world’s most famous diamonds make for a fascinating read!

Famous Diamonds

Cullinan Diamond

The Cullinan Diamond is the biggest gem-quality diamond weighing in at 3,106.75 carats.  It was discovered in 1905 in the Premier No.2 mine just outside Pretoria, South Africa and was cut into a number of gemstones, including the Cullinan I, also known as the Great Star of Africa.  At 530.4 carats, it is the biggest polished white diamond in the world and held the record for the largest diamond of any colour until the discovery of the Golden Jubilee Diamond in 1985.

The second stone to be cut from it is the Cullinan II or the Second Star of Africa, itself a massive 317.4 carats and sitting 4th on the list.  Both of the Cullinan diamonds are currently part of the Crown Jewels of the UK, held in the Royal Collection by Queen Elizabeth II.

The Orlov

The Orlov, sometimes called the Orloff, is a part of the Diamond Fund of the Kremlin of Moscow.  The stone has a colourful history – at 300 carats with a slight bluish-green colour, it is an exceptionally pure stone that has been cut into a Mogul-cut rose.  One story about the origins of the stone say that it was originally set in the idol of Vishnu, a Hindu god, in the sanctuary temple of Sriangam until it was stolen by a French deserter in the 1700s.  There were actually two matching stones but the thief was so terrified at the idea of divine retribution, he only stole one.  The stone was taken to Madras and sold to an English sea captain for £2000.

Next the stone arrived in Amsterdam there the Russian count, Grigori Orloff was living.  The former lover of Empress Catherine, Orloff heard about the stone and bought it for £90,000, taking it back to Russia for his lover.  Catherine accepted the stone and mounted it on the Imperial Sceptre while gifting Grigori a marble palace in exchange for the stone.  But it didn’t serve him well as the pair fell out and he died of a broken heart in 1783.

Tiffany Yellow Diamond

The Tiffany Yellow Diamond is the biggest yellow diamond ever found at 287.42 carats.  It was found in Kimberley mine in South Africa in 1878 and was bought by Charles Tiffany, the founder of Tiffany & Co, famous New York jewellers.  He set his gemmologist George Frederick Kunz to work on the stone, reducing it to the current size of 128.54 carats at which time it was mounted by Jean Schlumberger.  Kuntz was just 23 at the time and the cutting process involved adding a massive 32 facets to the accepted number for a square antique brilliant cut.  The result is a quality of light in the stone that has only been equalled with modern cutting techniques.

The stone has only been worn by two women during its lifetime – Mrs Sheldon Whitehouse at the 1957 Tiffany Ball in Newport, Rhode Island and by Audrey Hepburn in the 1961 during the publicity photos for Breakfast at Tiffany’s.

Koh-I-Noor

The Koh-I-Noor or Mountain of Light is a large colourless diamond found in Andhra Pradesh, India, in the 13^th century.  Originally it was 793 carats and owned by the Kakatiya dynasty before changing hands numerous times and ending up as a possession of Queen Victoria in 1849.  Prince Albert was unhappy with the dull and irregular look of the stone so ordered it cut down to 186 carats in an oval-cut, brilliant cut.  The diamond is now in the Queen Mother’s Crown, part of the Crown Jewels and is held in the Tower of London.

Daria-I-Noor

Dar-I-Noor diamond

The Daria-I-Noor or Sea of light is a 182 carat pale pink diamond that came from the Paritala-Kollur Mine in Andhra Pradesh, India – the same place as the Koh-I-Noor.  It was first owned by the Kakatiya dynasty then looted by the Khilji dynasty and given to the Mughal emperors.  The Shah of Persia took the stone when he invaded northern India in 1739 as part of the payment for the Mughals to retain their throne.  It is now a part of the Iranian Crown Jewels.

Spoonmaker’s Diamond

Pride of place in the collection of the Topaki Palace in Istanbul is the Spoonmaker’s Diamond, an 86 carat pear shaped diamond and the 4^th largest of its kind in the world.  It is set in silver with 49 old-mine cut diamonds surrounding it in two rows, these brilliant cut stones giving it the appearance of the ‘full moon shining amid the stars’.

There are many stories about how the stone came to the palace including through the hands of Ali Pasha of Tepelena, an Ottoman governor of modern-day Greece and Albania.  Other stories connect it with the Pigot Diamond, held by the British governor of Madras, India in the 1760s, Lord Pigot.

Large Diamonds

Excelsior Diamond

Before the Cullinan Diamond was discovered, the record for the largest gem quality diamond was held by the Excelsior Diamond.  Found in 1893 in the Jagersfontein Mine near Kimberley, South Africa, it was a blue-tinted stone with a weight of 995.2 carats.  It was cut into ten stones weighing between 13 and 68 carats.

Centenary Diamond

The Centenary Diamond was the third largest to come from the Premier Mine in South Africa, after the Cullinan I and II.  At 273.85 carats, the stone has the highest grade rating of colourless diamond due to its internal and external flawlessness.  It was named to mark the Centenary Celebrations of the De Beers, the company owning the mine, which was two years after it was discovered in 1986.

Cursed Diamonds

Hope Diamond

Without doubt the most famous cursed diamond is the Hope Diamond.  The deep blue stone came from India and is believed to have travelled the world with a curse on any wearer.  It was first known to be owned by Louis XIV, King of France who bought it from a gem merchant called Jean Baptiste Tavernier when it was a massive 112 carats.  He had it cut down to 67 carats and used in the crown jewels.

It was inherited by the next king, Louis XV who added it to the Emblem of Golden Fleece.  It was stolen during the French Revolution and vanished for 20 years, appearing once more in England in 1812 under the ownership of collector Philip Henry Hope.  After his family sold it, it seemed to move around owners until it was purchased in 1912 by Evelyn Walsh McLean.  She had it reduced further to 45.52 carats and claims that the curse has never affected her.

When she died it was bought by Harry Winston the famous jeweller who donated it to the Smithsonian Museum where it now resides.

Creative Trends for 2016 – What Will You Try?

Whether you are a seasoned crafter, a newcomer wanting to start in the craft world or someone with some experience looking for a new direction, spying out the latest creative trends is always a good start.  Not only does it tell you what people might be interested in buying or receiving as gifts, it also gives you a good idea about what kind of products are going to be on the market or in the shops.  Here we look at some top trends for this year, inspired by the people at Sizzix.

Hand touched handmade

It may sound strange to add hand touched to a list of creative trends – after all, isn’t nearly everything we do touched by our hands?  What the term means in this context however is adding an extra degree of personalisation to something.  For example, you get a stamp, stamp the image and colour it in with watercolour pens – the last part of this is the hand touched part.  What you make and what your friend makes with the same stamp will be a little different.

Details die cuts

When I first started making cards, die cuts were the bits you added to the card to finish it, a lot like embellishments.  Now there are a number of high quality ranges of very intricate and detailed die cuts that can make the centrepiece of a card very special.  Tattered Lace is one of my favourites as well as Sizzix, X-Cut and Spellbinders.  The intricate nature of the designs do make for a little more work in sticking them but there are also some quality glues and adhesives available to make this job a lot easier.

Flowers everywhere

The development of detailed die cuts has also led to a boom in flower die cuts and no longer are they just a cute daisy or a generic ‘flower’ that have limited uses.  There are a number of ranges that now offer flower dies that combine together to create a dimensional and realistic flower and some, such as the Sheena Douglass range, that also combine stamps with the die cuts for an amazingly real feature for cards and other projects.

Easy start up with kits

One of the best ways to try any craft or experiment with a new area is to grab a kit.  Everything you need is in one place, coordinating and inspiring, often with hints and tips along with them.  That way 7you can get straight into the creating without spending hours hunting around for matching products.

Use up with Mixed Media

Every time you complete a project, there are bits left over.  Odd bits of die cuts, pieces of ribbon, little sections of card or paper.  Rather than throw them out, you can use them in mixed media projects.  From cards to gift tags, notebooks and more, mixed media is about using as much as you want in as many different ways as you want to create something unique.

Practical projects

We all have busy lives with lots to remember – the planner and organiser has become our best friend.  But making your own or embellishing your own is another big trend at the moment and allows you to organise your life and craft something practical.  In this digital age, such manual, hands on methods may seem out of date but in fact, more and more people are turning to this style of organised to keep everything together.

Adult colouring books

Remember using any excuse to colour with the kids because it was so enjoyable but adults weren’t really meant to colour?  Well now, the benefits of colouring for adults has gained full merits and there are an astounding range of adult colouring books available.  Make a picture with a simple frame from a piece you are proud of or colour something for a present, handmade and hand touched in one go.

Diamond – April’s Birthstone

There’s no doubt that if you asked most people to name a gemstone, diamond would be one of the first they would come up with.  The sparkling colourless stone has been the mainstay for fine jewellery for centuries and is also one of the hardest natural substances known to man.  There have been many famous diamonds throughout history with amazing stories associated with them.

Science stuff

Diamond is made from carbon, one of the simplest and most abundant elements on the planet.  It forms at high temperature and pressure depth around 80-120 miles into the Earth’s mantle.  It takes over one billion years to form and are brought to the surface by volcanic eruptions.  Diamonds are usually colourless, yellow, brown or grey though others colours do occurring including blue, green, violet, red and a translucent white.  It is the hardest material known on both the Vickers and Mohs scales and even its very name refers to its hardness.

History

The word diamond comes from a Greek word ‘adamas’ that means unalterable or unbreakable.  It is thought that diamonds were first discovered in alluvial deposits of stone in India going back at least 3,000 years, though some sources date their first use back to around 6,000 years ago.  They were used as religious icons in India and people around the world quickly came to realise their hardness was useful in tools.

Alexander the Great is said to have brought diamonds to Europe in 327 BC from India and they were seen as a medical aid as well as for jewellery.  By the 11^th century, people believed they were poisonous if ingested, though this may have been a fiction created to stop diamond miners swallowing the stones as a means to stealing them.

The diamond cutting trade took off in Venice around 1300 as the desire to make different shapes and cuts of stones grew.  By the 16^th century, the stone had become a symbol of wealth and prosperity but Indian was still the only source.

Modern diamond cutting and cuts were developed in the 1900s including the Round Brilliant cut, created by Marcel Tolkowsky in 1919.  Around the mid 1900s, diamonds were discovered in Eastern Australia while the richest deposit in the world, near Argyle Pipe in Western Australia, was found in 1979.

Diamonds aren’t only found on Earth – a diamond called carbonado was found in South American and in Africa and was believed to have been deposited there through asteroid impact some 3 billion years ago.  These diamonds would have developed in somewhere in space, on the asteroid and were left here when it burned up in the atmosphere.  The Popigai crater in Russia is the largest diamond deposit in the world believe to have been formed by an asteroid impact and has trillions of carats of the gemstone present.

The Four Cs of Diamonds

When choosing a diamond, you need to understand something referred to as the Four Cs – carat, cut, colour and clarity.  These are the four factors used to rate the quality of the gemstone and also affect the price you will pay for it.

Carat or carat weight is the weight of the stone with one carat being equivalent to around 0.2 grams.  It is measured in ‘cts’ or in points with one carat being divided into 100 points.  Obviously, the larger the carat weight, the more expensive the stone.  Also the bigger the stone and this can have an impact on its wearability – do you want to wear a very large stone on a daily basis where it may get chipped or scratched?  For this reason, rings such as engagement rings often combine a number of smaller stones to allow them to be worn on a daily basis.

Fancy cuts of diamond

The cut of a diamond is perhaps the most important factor in deciding its value.  The cut allow sparkle from the stone and means it will handle light well, making it look good when worn.  Cuts are graded from ‘super ideal’ to ‘very good’ with the former being the highest ranking.  Cut is not the same as the diamond shape and is all about the facets of the stone and the light they create.

Colour may sound strange for an essentially colourless stone but does have a factor in the quality of the stone.  Diamonds are graded between D, which is colourless, through to Z, which has a yellow tint.  The whiter the diamond, the higher its value so D graded diamonds are the most expensive.

The final of the Four Cs is clarity.  Gemstones can be affected by flaws called inclusions and in diamonds, the fewer there are, the better quality the stone.  These are graded from FL, meaning flawless, through to I3 where there are visible inclusions.  These inclusions can be made by air bubbles as the stone formed, other minerals or even tiny cracks in the stone.

Conclusion

Diamonds remain one of the most popular stones for fine jewellery and buying them can be a little more complicated that it seems.  However, the variety of cuts means there are always stones that fulfil your heart’s desire and your budget.

Popular Eras for Jewellery Inspiration

There can be lots of reasons to search for a period style of jewellery.  You might be attending a period themed event, you may want to pretend to be someone from history or you may simply enjoy a particular era and the looks of it.  So what are the most popular eras for jewellery inspiration, both in costume jewellery and fine jewellery?

Georgian Era

This is the period from 1714 to 1837 and is named for the four English kings who reigned through this period, all called George.  However, the jewellery of the time was influenced by the work of those from Europe, principally from France, Italy and Germany.

In this period, jewellery was handcrafted, even the most expensive kind with metal being hammered into thin sheets before the jeweller could then make the piece.  The result was very intricate work that only hand fabrication can achieve.  Unfortunately, its great age also means there is less genuine antique pieces left – a lot of them were melted down in later eras to make something new.

Common motifs included flowers, crescents, ribbons and bows as well as feathers and leaves.  Enamelling was used to add colour and glass overlays were also used.  During this period was the Baroque style with its emphasis on symmetry and very ornate styles.  Roman and Greek motifs also became popular with the excavation of Pompeii in the mid and late 1700s.  Napoleon brought images from Egypt to Europe so pyramid shapes and papyrus leaves became popular.

Victorian Era

Mourning brooch containing the hair of a deceased relative.

The Victorian era is the period during the reign of Queen Victoria from 1837 to 1901 and is often divided into three periods.  The Early period from 1837 to 1860 is often known as the Romantic Period and saw the rise of the Industrial Revolution with all its changes.  This meant that jewellery was no longer strictly handmade and also saw gold become a little harder to come by, so lower karats of the metal were used.  Then the California gold rush happened in 1848 and there was no longer such restrictions.  Brooches were popular at this time and seed pearls in grape clusters along with romantic images such as love knots, arrows, crosses, anchors and hearts were all common images.

The Mid-Victorian era, also known as the Grand Period, ran from 1861 to 1885 and included the American Civil War and the death of Victoria’s husband, Prince Albert.  Mourning and remembrance jewellery became popular in this period while electricity began to shine light on the darkness with the invention of the light bulb in 1879.  Silver was discovered in Nevada in 1860 and was quickly embraced by jewellers.  Geometric patterns, acorns, bees, bells and shield shapes joined the romantic motifs of the earlier period.

The Late Victorian era was the time from 1885 to the death of the queen in 1901.  Machine produced jewellery became popular but there was also a growth in handmade pieces as people had more time to learn crafts in their spare time.  The jewellery of the era wasn’t as heavy as the previous period with delicate rings and bracelets as well as pins.  Etruscan and Egyptian themes were popular along with Oriental motifs while animals, sporting themes and natural images such as oak leaves and clovers were used.

Edwardian era

The Edwardian era saw the reign of Edward VII from 1901 to 1910 and showed the contrasting personalities of the two monarchs.  Edward was fun loving, a playboy and a gambler who spent much of his time in social events and with the upper class.  It was also a period when the view of handmade jewellery was at its height over machine made pieces and everyone wanted to wear styles from the 18^th century.  Garlands and ribbons along with bows, tassels and lace were all popular in the period while platinum fabrication became more advanced, leading to its use in jewellery.  Diamond ‘dog collars’ were brought from France by the Princess of Wales who loved the styles while late in the period, the emphasis fell strongly on necklaces.

Art styles in jewellery

Art Deco brooch

Overlapping and following these periods were two major art styles that influenced everything from fashion to architecture as well as jewellery.  Art Nouveau was named for the gallery held in Paris entitled Maison de l’Art Nouveau by Siegfried Bing and featured new and innovative artwork with Eastern designs.  It is also known as the Arts and Crafts era, though this tended to be the more stylised and controlled styles of design.  Popular gemstones of the period included garnet, agate and opal while long necklaces, much on-trend now, were popular including those with glass beads handing from a silver chain or a single gemstone.

The other style of the time was Art Deco, said to rung roughly from 1920 to 1940.  The look of the period was all about very clean lines and streamlined styles – geometric patterns replaced the natural flow of Art Nouveau.  The big names in the period were Cartier and Van Cleef and Arpels, still famous today, and their diamond studded bracelets, sapphire and ruby earrings and emerald brooches were hugely popular.  Onyx and coral were also popular in the period.

Recent eras

The period running from 1935 until 1950 is commonly known as the Retro period when floral images and large prettily coloured stones grew in prominence over the geometric styles of the Art Deco.  The limitations placed on time and materials by the Second World War also led to the use of low karat gold and copper alloys.

The Modern period runs from 1950 until the current times and is filled with a variety of different styles ranging from large pieces with cut gemstones to flower and animal patterns as well as much more.

How to Stop Costume Jewellery Going Green

Even before I made it myself, I was always a fan of costume jewellery.  Sure you have your top quality, good gold jewellery that you wear on special occasions but do you really want to risk it on a night out or leave it behind in a hotel safe when on holiday?  Plus, there is so much variety to costume jewellery you can have a piece or two for every outfit.

However, one of the big downsides of jewellery is that sometimes it can go green.  Sometimes this can be down to the quality of the metals used (that shiny gold for instance that you pick up on holiday and goes a lovely green shade within days).  But most of the time it is a natural reaction between skin and metal.  So what can be done to stop costume jewellery going green?

Going green

The first thing to remember when your jewellery or your skin under it goes green is that there is nothing to panic about.  These green stains might look a bit weird but they aren’t harmful.  They also don’t mean that you are allergic to that metal and will have to stop wearing it.  It simply means that the metal has oxidized with your skin and created the green effect – normally due to the present of copper in the metal.  But even gold and silver can suffer from going green syndrome.

One simple trick that can ease the problem is to keep soaps and lotions away from where you wear the jewellery, particularly with rings.  These can cause the oxidization to quicken and start those green stains.  Wearing jewellery in the swimming pool is another thing to avoid as the chlorine can cause a similar reaction.

Curing the problem?

A clever and surprisingly simply way to stop jewellery turning your finger green is to use clear nail polish.  Apply a coat of the polish to the inside of the ring, bracelet or other jewellery where it presses against your skin.  This will form a protective barrier and stop the oxidization process.  Hence, no green finger or green jewellery.  You will probably need to reapply the coating periodically as it does rub off.

Recognising skin allergies

But how do you know if you have simply green finger syndrome or if you have an allergy to the metal in your jewellery?  Nickel allergies are one of the most common metal allergies, probably because nickel is used in so many different things – coins, zippers, belt buckles and keys as well as jewellery.

If you have a nickel allergy and come into contact with it, you will normally see a reaction between 12 and 48 hours later.  This will be an itchiness, redness and a rash in the area of contact as well as sometimes dry patches and even swelling.  Sometimes blisters may form and break open.  Worst case scenario is that the rash can become infected so if you doubt, speak to a medical professional.

In most cases, people think they are allergic to gold or silver but it will actually be the nickel content in these metals that they are allergic to.  You can now get jewellery that states it is nickel free or that it is hypoallergenic.  However, always be careful when wearing it and watch carefully for signs of a reaction and remove the piece immediately if there are any signs.

Aquamarine – March’s Pale Blue Birthstone

If you like the shades of the sea and the sky, then you will love the birthstone for March.  Aquamarine is a stone associated with the calm and peaceful side of the oceans and comes in a range of shades that means there are enough subtle differences to suit everyone.

Scientific stuff

Aquamarine comes from the Latin aqua marina or ‘water of the sea’ and is a type of beryl, a family that also contains emerald and morganite.  The stone isn’t always a pale blue shade but can come in different colours depending on the other elements within it – such as golden yellow shades or a dark blue shade that is known as maxixe.  Despite being the same family as emerald, aquamarine is a clear stone with no inclusions or that smoky quality that the green stone is known for.

Aquamarine is found around the world.  Some of the best deposits of gemstone quality stones come from Sri Lanka and Brazil as well as in central Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho in the US, Colombia, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi, Kenya and Tanzania around the world.  The very largest gemstone every found was mined in Marambaia in Minas Gerais, Brazil and weighed over 240lb.  the largest cut stone is the Dom Pedro aquamarine, now found in the Smithsonian Institute.

If you are looking for gemstone quality aquamarine, then the more saturated the colour, the better the quality of stone.  However, the larger stones tend to be a lighter colour.  The stone is often cut into rectangular or square cuts for gemstones as the beryl family works particularly well in these shapes.  Round, pear, oval and cushion cut are also popular while the stone works well in cabochons to be added to other styles of jewellery.  It also comes in bead quality stones in a variety of shapes and sizes, including faceted and round cut.

Aquamarine associations

Legends tell that aquamarine was found in the treasure chests of mermaids and was considered the lucky stone of sailors.  Both the ancient Greeks and Romans knew the gemstone and carried it to ensure safe passage across the sea including warding off sea-sickness.  By the Middle Ages, gemstones were associated with the cosmos and aquamarine had been associated with Neptune as well as with the month of March.

As with all stones, aquamarine has developed associations with certain healing powers and benefits, though how accurate these are is scientifically unknown.  It was said to purify the liver, kidney, spleen and intestines as well as reducing irritability, impatience and calming aggressiveness.  It could even help cure blood poisoning, aid in circulation and draw out the poison from a sting or a bite.

Wearing aquamarine

Cartier Necklace with Aquamarines

Aquamarine is a popular stone for a number of reasons.  It is relatively sensible in its price compared with emerald or the other precious stones and there are a nice range of shades available.  It is also available in many different shapes and forms to suit all styles and budgets.  It works for any colour of skin or eye so means it is popular around the world and it works well alongside other stones.  In costume jewellery, it matches up well with similar colours of Swarovski crystal and other glass beads, accenting its colour or working well with it.